


Yakov is a Teddy Bear

by DaisyK44



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Fluff and Angst, Viktor is sad, and yakov is a dad whether he likes it or not, don't worry it's not too angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 07:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11202861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyK44/pseuds/DaisyK44
Summary: Eighteen years of coaching Viktor Nikiforov through the eyes of Yakov; or, Yakov cares more about his skaters than he likes to admit





	Yakov is a Teddy Bear

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! So this is the first YOI fic that I'm sharing with the beautiful users of Archive. I always wish there was more stuff from Yakov's perspective, so I wrote some!  
> The years in the timeline of this are based off the actual Sochi Grand Prix Final that occurred in 2013. It all lines up with old how the characters would be based on that happening then and the events of YOI happening in the 2014/2015 season.  
> Also, this is unbeta'd so there might be some mistakes. Let me know if you catch any and I hope you enjoy!

_1997_

Yakov Feltsman is fifty-three years old when a skinny boy with pale blond hair comes traipsing into his rink alone.

“This is a private lesson, kid,” he says in irritation when the boy is close enough. “Come back tomorrow during public hours.”

But the boy doesn’t leave. Instead, his noticeably blue eyes fix Yakov with a piercing stare that is curious and determined all at once. It should annoy him – he should ignore the kid and go back to paying attention to the three senior skaters on the ice – but something about the pale, sharp face is drawing him in. Yakov sighs and raises an eyebrow to indicate that he will hear what this boy wants.

“My name is Viktor Nikiforov. I’m eleven years old and I want you to be my coach,” he says. Of course. His wife and partner, Lilia, wouldn’t have let any kid off the street into a private training session.

“Uh-huh. And where are your parents?” asks Yakov. Viktor Nikiforov is charming without even trying, clearly star potential, but he won’t agree to coach any eleven-year-old if their parents aren’t present to sign the contract. Except at that question, Viktor loses a little of his charm in favor of looking like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“They’re at work. I took a bus here,” he admits. Yakov is surprised; he doesn’t know if he should be impressed or concerned at the level of independence at such a young age. Either way, he follows protocol and tells Viktor that he can’t take him on without parental consent.

“Wait!” cries Viktor when Yakov turns his attention back to the ice. This kid doesn’t give up easily. “They don’t think I need a new coach because they don’t understand what I need to do to go pro when I’m older. They think skating is a hobby, but I’m serious about it. I even have the money to pay the tuition. _Please_.”

If he didn’t have the makings of a champion, Yakov would have kicked him out right then and there. But he’s been a coach for twenty-five years, and he can pick out skating stars better than anyone. Viktor will be a star if he’s trained the right way. So, against his better judgement, Yakov agrees to take him under his wing.  It only takes a month for him to prove that he’s worth Yakov’s time. At eleven years old, Viktor is a better skater than some of Yakov’s students that are getting ready to make their senior debuts. He’s a natural.

It doesn’t occur to Yakov until much later to ask where Viktor gets the tuition money. Even then, he isn’t sure he wants to know. 

 

* * *

 

_1999_

Viktor is getting impatient, and Yakov can tell. He turns thirteen in December, which means he won’t qualify for the Junior Grand Prix until the 2000/2001 season. The problem is he’s “ready _now,_ ” as he’s told his coach a hundred times as if Yakov can do anything about it.

“Just be patient for a little longer,” Yakov tells him every time. Viktor always pouts at that, then spends two extra hours on the ice practicing. Yakov yells at him for doing that because he’s going to overdo it one day, but Viktor doesn’t listen. He thinks he’ll have a better chance of placing in his first Grand Prix if he puts in extra effort because apparently his countless medals from novice competitions aren’t enough to make him see that he’ll place without a doubt.

Some days Yakov doesn’t feel like fighting Viktor and turns his attention to his newest student, Georgi Popovich, instead. Georgi is only ten years old and doesn’t show as much promise as Viktor, but he has time to become a great skater. At least he takes Yakov’s instruction, which is more than he can say for Viktor.

On a day when Viktor and Georgi are sharing the rink and Viktor is being particularly ornery, Yakov turns his attention to Georgi. The little boy is trying to land a single toe loop and could use some instruction. Yakov tries not to think about how Viktor was already perfecting his single axel when he came to the rink – Lilia tells him that it isn’t fair to compare his students. She also tells him to devote more time to students who aren’t Viktor because they deserve his help, too, so she’ll be proud to hear that he is doing just that.

“You trip up just before it can be considered a full rotation,” observes Yakov an hour into practice. “Go into the loop with more power and you won’t fall.”

“I’ll never be as good as Viktor,” complains Georgi, pulling himself up from the ice. Yakov is about to give him some encouraging words about being himself when there is a loud smack from the other end of the rink. Yakov whirls around to see Viktor lying face down on the ice. Panic overtakes him as he rushes to Viktor, followed closely by Georgi. He lifts himself up just as Yakov kneels beside him; his nose is bleeding, but it’s a good sign that he sat up on his own.

“What the hell did you do?” asks Yakov sharply, now inspecting every inch of Viktor for injuries. Viktor holds his hand up to his nose in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

“I was trying out a quad lutz,” admits Viktor. “I saw Alexander do one yesterday and I thought it looked easy.”

Yakov is going to kill him.

“You stupid boy! You never, _never_ try anything unless I tell you you’re ready! Do you know how hurt you could have been, Vitya?” screams Yakov. He knows he shouldn’t yell, but it’s only because he cares. He’s had students severely hurt on his watch before and he doesn’t want to see that happen to Viktor.

“I think – _ow_ – I think I sprained my ankle,” replies Viktor quietly, his bottom lip trembling. At that, Yakov’s anger subsides. If Viktor is hurt, he needs medical attention – he can be reprimanded later. Yakov calls for an ambulance and stays by Viktor’s side the whole time.

Thankfully, it’s only a mild sprain. The doctor wraps Viktor’s ankle, tells him to stay off it for a week, and then prepares to discharge him with a pair of crutches and a prescription for painkillers. Before they leave, Yakov goes to fill the prescription in the hospital pharmacy; when he returns, there are two people in Viktor’s room that can only be his parents. His mother is tall for a woman and very thin, with sharp cheekbones and pale blonde hair rolled into a bun at the base of her neck. Viktor is the spitting image of her. His father is taller still, though not quite as thin, with short graying hair. They both look incredibly serious, and it is then that Yakov realizes how upset and uncomfortable Viktor looks.

Yakov introduces himself and explains to them what the doctor said. Mrs. Nikiforov makes a comment about how she knew figure skating was a bad idea; Viktor looks like he might cry. Mr. Nikiforov complains that they don’t have time to take off work to look after Viktor while he heals, so Yakov impulsively offers to have Viktor stay with him for the next week. They agree surprisingly quickly. Yakov hopes Lilia won’t mind that he didn’t ask her first. 

 

* * *

 

_2000_

Viktor celebrates his fourteenth birthday with Yakov and Lilia. His parents wouldn’t take off work, which Viktor says doesn’t bother him, but Yakov noticed how his eyes watered up when Georgi told him about the party his parents were planning for his twelfth birthday. Besides, Yakov feels that he deserves a good birthday to go along with the gold medal he won the week before at his first Junior Grand Prix Final. Lilia agrees with him for once in their marriage, so she cooks a nice dinner, they order a cake from Viktor’s favorite bakery, and Yakov plans a surprise to make it a special birthday.

At dinner, Viktor smiles like he always does and makes polite conversation, but Yakov can tell he is still upset about his parents by the way the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Cake makes the evening a little better because Viktor really does love pesochny, although the joy that had emanated from Viktor from his victory only a week ago is not there.  

Of course, Yakov saves the best part of the celebration for last.

Viktor’s face lights up when Yakov brings out the brown poodle puppy he purchased just yesterday. Lilia had scoffed, saying that he was getting soft in his old age, but it’s worth it when he deposits the puppy into Viktor’s outstretched hands. The puppy licks his cheek; he looks at the dog like he would a gold medal.

“Thank you, Yakov! Thank you, Lilia! I love him!” exclaims Viktor. A rare smile graces Yakov’s face and he looks back at Lilia as if to say _I told you so_. Lilia rolls her eyes, but she too is smiling. Viktor names the poodle and cuddles Makkachin for the rest of the night. When Yakov takes him home, Viktor thanks him again for the best birthday present. The words warm his heart, although he would never admit it out loud. 

 

* * *

 

_2003_

Some days Yakov truly doesn’t know why he doesn’t just retire. He isn’t even sixty yet, too young to retire, but at this rate he thinks he might have a heart attack from dealing with these kids. In his thirty years of coaching, he doesn’t think he’s ever had students as troublesome as Georgi Popovich and Viktor Nikiforov.

Georgi is fourteen years old and going through his first breakup. Yakov thought it was bad when he’d been _in_ the relationship – distracted on the ice, begging for breaks every five minutes to call his girlfriend – but that was nothing compared to his dramatics now that it’s over. He bursts into tears at inconvenient times and insists that he can’t possibly skate when he’s so heartbroken. Yakov tells him he’ll get over it and forces him onto the ice with the threat of removing him from the Junior Grand Prix. But at least Georgi still listens to him, which is again more than he can say for Viktor.

At sixteen, Viktor seems to be going through a rebellious phase. He hasn’t had a haircut in two years, so the hair that he dyes silver without permission right before his senior debut is nearly at his waist. Yakov always threatens to cut it off in Viktor’s sleep. Besides looks, Viktor is also now insisting on choreographing his own programs.

“What the hell do you need me for then?” asks Yakov when Viktor first comes to him with the idea. “If you pick your own music and your own choreography, what am I besides a glorified babysitter?”

But Yakov lets him do it anyway because it turns out that Viktor has a special talent for choreographing. He choreographs his programs for his first European Championship and takes home silver. At the kiss and cry, Yakov chews Viktor out for a messy step sequence, but he’s still prouder than he’s ever been and he hopes Viktor knows it.

He’s not quite as proud when Viktor gets drunk for the first time at the Grand Prix Final banquet just before his seventeenth birthday. Yakov keeps an eye on Viktor at first, taking away any alcohol he catches him trying to sneak, but Yakov’s turning into an old man and he is ready to go to bed before his young student is.

“I’ll be good if you let me stay,” begs Viktor when Yakov tries to make him leave. He’s hesitant, but Viktor _is_ getting older and deserves some trust from him. Besides, he’s hoping his two older students will keep Viktor from being stupid, although they’re tipsy already so that’s doubtful. Yakov relents anyway and tells Viktor he can stay if he doesn’t drink and is back in his hotel room by midnight.

Yakov regrets this decision when he’s holding back Viktor’s long silver hair over the toilet the next morning. 

 

* * *

 

_2005_

Lilia walks out on him the night before the first event of the Grand Prix. He wishes he could say he was surprised, but he’s not. She’s been complaining for years that he spends more time with his students than her, and it’s been six months since they had a conversation that didn’t end in an argument. Still, surprised or not, it hurts. They were married for forty years and for her to end it all now? What Yakov wants more than anything is to get blackout drunk and forget about the pain she’s caused him, but he can’t. He has to be up at seven o’clock the next morning to make sure Georgi and Viktor, now his only competing students, are ready for the Cup of China.

It’s Georgi’s Grand Prix senior debut, so Yakov throws all his energy into being a good coach. Georgi skates first and his program isn’t perfect, but his short program score is an 83.6 and that is decent for his first senior competition. Viktor skates flawlessly, of course, and Yakov feels bad that Georgi is constantly in the former’s shadow. He tries to shake that pity off, though, because it isn’t his fault Viktor has more natural talent. If Georgi really wanted to surpass him, he’d work harder, right?

Or maybe Lilia was right when she said Yakov pays too much attention to Viktor and not enough to his other students.

After the free skate the next day, when Viktor has a new gold medal and Georgi has a bronze one, Viktor comes up to Yakov.

“It’s not like Lilia to miss a competition,” he comments as casually as he can. It’s true, and Yakov should have known Viktor would notice – Lilia is the ballet instructor for all of his skaters, including Viktor, and therefore came to every competition to cheer them on.

“I’m not going to talk about my personal life with you,” he replies gruffly. Viktor shrugs.

“I’m just saying. If you need to, you know, I’m here.” He pats Yakov’s back and then he leaves, grabbing one of the French skaters on his way out of the rink. That doesn’t surprise Yakov either; Viktor is known for taking a fellow skater back to his hotel room after competitions to mess around for a night and then ditching them the next morning to go home to Makkachin. He likes to have fun, but he doesn’t like to be separated from his beloved poodle for too long.

Stupid boy. He’s had a handful of flings, maybe one serious boyfriend, and he thinks that he can understand the woes of marriage. Yakov wants to slap him upside the head sometimes and tell him that relationships aren’t as easy as he thinks. Not everyone can sleep with a different person every couple of months, pose with them in front of photographers to support a playboy image, and then smoothly dump them without any repercussions. Real relationships are harder.

Lilia serves him divorce papers two months later. He signs them, they agree to maintain a professional relationship for the sake of their students, and that’s that. 

 

* * *

 

_2007_

Yakov gains another student, a precocious eleven-year-old named Mila Babicheva, around the same time that Viktor misses the World Championship for the first time in his career. He should have been there, but the month before he’d torn his ACL and Yakov won’t let him compete until it fully heals. Of course, Viktor is not happy about this and spends the next week moping around the rink. After a few days, Yakov can’t stand the sight of it anymore, so he enlists Viktor to help him coach Mila to give the kid something to do besides feel sorry for himself. Viktor obviously doesn’t want to, but after ten years he knows that Yakov isn’t actually giving him a choice.

Mila quickly becomes infatuated with Viktor, which Yakov finds both hysterical and annoying. He gets a kick out of watching her gush over how great of a skater he is and how amazing his custom gold skates are, but it is frustrating how she keeps trying moves that are way too advanced for her to impress Viktor. He threatens to remove Viktor from being assistant coach if she doesn’t listen to Yakov, and that gets her to finally knock it off. Once she starts following orders, Mila is as good of a skater as Viktor was at age eleven. It’s been a few years since Yakov has had a female skating star, and he’s looking forward to seeing how Mila grows.

A few days before Mila’s first novice competition, where Yakov will decide if he should groom her for the Junior Grand Prix in a few years, he can’t help but overhear a conversation between Mila and Viktor in the locker room. He’s going to leave for the night – Viktor can lock up when he’s done – but the sound of Mila’s distressed voice catches his attention.

“My brother has a hockey game the same day, and my dad said it’s more important for him to be at that. My mom’s supposed to come see me, but I don’t know if I want to skate without my whole family watching. I mean, it’s my first competition,” she says, clearly upset. Yakov tenses up; the last thing he wants is for Mila to drop out of the competition. It might be small and amateur, but it’s good for practice. Still, before he goes bursting in there to convince her to compete, he waits to see what Viktor will say.

“I know how you feel, Mila, but don’t let them hold you back. Did you know my parents haven’t been to a single one of my competitions? It used to really bother me, but I would just skate the best that I could so I would impress them if they ever showed up. When it stopped bothering me, I still skated the best I could so I would bring home gold medals to show them what they were missing. Of course, they still didn’t care, so I moved out when I turned eighteen and haven’t seen them since. At least your mom will be there supporting you. That’s something, isn’t it?” says Viktor.

“Yeah…I guess you’re right. I’ll compete and I’ll try my best to win! Thanks, Viktor.”

“Good girl. You’ve got talent, Mila. Don’t throw it away.” That seems to be the end of the conversation, so Yakov makes his way out to his car to leave. He feels a little uneasy on the drive home. Viktor stopped mentioning his parents a long time ago and Yakov knew he’d gotten his own apartment on his eighteenth birthday, but he didn’t know Viktor isn’t speaking to them at all anymore. He also didn’t know Viktor still harbors such negative feelings towards them. He wonders if he should have done more to help Viktor in the family department, if he should have forced him to talk about it instead of letting it go when Viktor was fifteen and never mentioning it again. He supposes he never really thought about it since, although he would never acknowledge that his students were like his children, he’s provided some parental guidance to Viktor over the years and maybe it had seemed to be enough.

But Yakov doesn’t like to dwell on what can’t be changed. He does notice, however, that Viktor comes to almost every one of Mila’s competitions to cheer her on. 

 

* * *

 

_2009_

“You’re going to kill Viktor,” says Georgi smugly in lieu of an actual greeting. Yakov groans; it’s too early to be dealing with Viktor. He’s even moodier in his twenties than he was as a teenager. For once, he’s thankful that Georgi currently has a girlfriend because that’s less drama for Yakov to worry about.

Viktor is already out on the ice, skating around in circles and practicing his jumps. He’s sporting a blue beanie, which in itself is suspicious because Yakov didn’t even know Viktor owned a beanie. He moves to the edge of the rink and calls out for his prized skater. Viktor looks up, his expression sheepish at the sight of Yakov, and skates over to his coach.

“Vitya, why the hell is Georgi saying I’m going to kill you?” he demands. Viktor shrugs, and Yakov rolls his eyes. “You are nearly twenty-three years old. Don’t shrug your shoulders and say you don’t know like Mila does. What did you do?”

Viktor sighs and removes his beanie reluctantly, and Yakov thinks he might finally have that heart attack he’s been anticipating for years. Viktor’s hair is _gone_. The long silver locks that fell to his waist yesterday have been chopped off to just below his ears.

“Don’t look so mad, Yakov. You’ve been bugging me to cut it for years – you should be thrilled!” laughs Viktor. He’s right, but it’s not about how Yakov feels. The long hair tied up in a ponytail was Viktor’s signature, and it allowed for both his costumes and programs to be androgynous. Now that his hair is short and he actually looks like a young man, Viktor will have to redo his entire program. More than that, Viktor loved his long hair more than anything. What’s happened to make him cut it? Yakov asks, but Viktor simply replies that he needed a new way to surprise his audience.

It certainly does the job. At the next competition, every single person who sees Viktor is shocked at his new look. They all seems to like it, though – especially Viktor’s Swiss best friend, Christophe Giacometti, who can’t stop running his fingers through it. The press asks Viktor about the change, and he charms them with some crap about “If you can’t surprise people, what’s the point?” Georgi seems jealous of all the attention Viktor is getting; Yakov tells him not to be. It’s all a façade. There is something going on with Viktor – Yakov just can’t figure out what. 

 

* * *

 

_2011_

Yakov knows he must be desperate if he’s calling Lilia for advice. For once, he’s glad they’ve maintained their professional relationship in spite of their personal one failing. He hasn’t introduced her to his newest student, Yuri Plisetsky, yet because that would require seeing her face to face, but he knows that Viktor still has weekly ballet lessons with her and that is all he needs.

Yakov is worried about Viktor and he doesn’t have time to be worried about Viktor. Georgi has a new girlfriend, Anya, and he’s more inspired that Yakov has ever seen him. He should be spending his time choreographing a fantastic program for Georgi. He should be making sure Mila is ready for her first Junior Grand Prix. He should be giving Yuri extra lessons because the kid has as much potential as Viktor did at twelve years old.

Instead, he is wasting his time calling his ex-wife to find out why his best skater is skating around like a zombie when he even bothers showing up for practice.

“What do you want, Yakov?” asks Lilia when she finally answers. He can practically hear the eye roll in her voice.

“Believe me, Lilia, I wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important business,” he snaps back. “Has Vitya been acting weird around you? He’s missed practice twice in the last week and he’s so unfocused. I’m concerned, and I wanted to see if you were, too.”

Lilia sighs on the other end.

“Yes, I am. He’s been missing my lessons as well. I asked him about a few days ago, and he just said he was too tired,” she replies. Yakov freezes. Two weeks ago, Viktor told him he felt numb in the middle of practice. Yakov thought he’d worked himself too hard and told him to take a break, but now he realizes the numbness was emotional rather than physical. Has he been overlooking signs of something serious?

“I’ll stop by his apartment and see how he’s doing. Thanks, Lilia,” says Yakov curtly before hanging up the phone. On the way over to Viktor’s place, he tries to tell himself that everything is fine. Viktor is a superstar figure skater who has won two Grand Prix Finals _and_ two World Championships consecutively. And soon it’ll be three consecutive wins in both competitions. He doesn’t have anything to be depressed about. He’s fine.

Viktor answers the door in sweatpants and a t-shirt, Makkachin faithfully by his side. His usually tidy silver hair is a tangled mess. When he sees Yakov, he attempts a smile, but Yakov can see right through it.

“If you’re going to miss practice, at least let me know,” he demands.

“In my defense, I planned on being there,” says Viktor. He looks down at the floor. “I just couldn’t get out of bed today.”

That is _not_ what Yakov wants to hear. He pushes past Viktor to enter the apartment even though he wasn’t invited in and sits down on the couch. Viktor Nikiforov doesn’t act like this. He’s too ambitious, too driven, to lay in bed all day and blow off practice. Yakov has been with him through a lot over the years and, even on his worst days, he’s never acted like this. He trains harder than ever when he’s upset and curses when Yakov tells him to slow down – he doesn’t _actually_ slow down.

“What’s going on, Vitya?” asks Yakov softly. There’s no point in being rough when Viktor seems so fragile. He sits down beside Yakov on the couch and buries his head in his hands.

“I don’t know,” he mumbles. He lifts his head, but keeps his gaze trained forward. “I just feel so empty. It’s like, I’ve won gold in every competition there is to win. Multiple times. I’ve pulled out every surprise I can possibly think of – making a quad flip my signature move, dying my hair, growing it out, cutting it…what else is there? I feel like…like I’ve peaked. Like there’s nothing left to do. Like there’s no point.”

“You can’t seriously be considering retirement. You’re only twenty-four. You could have as many as six good years left in you.”

“But do I want those six years if it’s all just empty, meaningless wins?” Viktor’s voice is shaking, like he’s on the verge of tears. It occurs to Yakov that he’s never actually seen Viktor cry.

“Why didn’t you tell me you felt like this, Vitya? We can get you help,” says Yakov. Viktor shakes his head.

“I don’t need therapy. I need meaning. I need inspiration,” replies Viktor.

“And how are you going to find that if you’re blowing off practice?” asks Yakov. Viktor doesn’t answer. “Look, Viktor, the wins aren’t meaningless. Millions of people look up to you. Every time you win, even if it’s the hundredth time, people all over the world smile. And he’ll never tell you this himself but I know Yuri looks up to you. All of that means something, doesn’t it?”

Again, Viktor is silent. He’s staring forward, his forehead creased. At least Yakov has given him something to think about. Then, finally, he looks Yakov right in the eye.

“You’re right. I’ve been selfish and I’m sorry. I’ll be at practice tomorrow,” he says. That’s enough to satisfy Yakov; he’s prepared to leave, but Viktor suddenly curls up against him like a child. Yakov doesn’t know what to do at first because physical contact has never been his area of expertise, but Viktor seems like he needs this so he just wraps one arm around Viktor’s shoulder like he imagines a father would.

 

* * *

 

_2013_

Yakov thinks the Sochi Grand Prix Final might be his most successful competition yet as a coach. Sure, Georgi didn’t make the cut, but his other three students did and that alone is impressive. Most coaches only have one skater in such a major competition – although Yakov has never been like most coaches.

All three of his competing skaters win gold – Yuri for the junior division, Viktor for men’s singles, and Mila for women’s singles. Yakov can honestly say he’s never been prouder. At the banquet after the competition, Yakov gladly accepts all the congratulations he’s offered from the other coaches. This kind of success, the kind that makes his heart swell with pride for his students, is the reason he coaches.

The coaches and junior skaters start to leave around ten as usual. Yakov is with them. He’s almost seventy – he doesn’t want to hang around a bunch of drunk twenty-something-year-olds. One skater in particular, the Japanese kid who lost badly, seems to be drunk off his ass already. Yakov grabs Yuri on his way out – there’s no way he’s trusting Viktor to keep an eye on him – and goes back to his hotel room, depositing Yuri in his as well.

Later Yakov learns that Yuri snuck back to the banquet and got into a dance battle with Yuuri Katsuki, the drunk skater. He lost, and Yakov can’t help but think he deserved to for disobeying orders. The humiliation in losing is punishment enough for Yuri, but Yakov still isn’t going to let him attempt quads for at least another month – something he was going to let him do as a reward for winning gold.

Yakov also learns that Viktor has supposedly fallen in love with the sloppy Japanese skater.

“Yakov, you should have seen it!” he proclaims the morning after the banquet. “I’ve never seen such beautiful brown eyes. And the way he serenaded me with his dancing. It was _wonderful_.”

“Vitya, stop being stupid. I can only handle one lovesick skater and Georgi already called dibs on that title,” Yakov tells him sternly. In the same day, Viktor offers to take a picture with Yuuri Katsuki as they prepare to leave Sochi, and Yuuri runs away without a word. Viktor looks heartbroken.

So much for love. 

 

* * *

 

_2015_

“I’m going to Japan, Yakov. I’m going to coach Yuuri Katsuki.” Those eleven words make Yakov angrier than he has never been in his life. Viktor is _leaving_. Viktor is going to Japan and doesn’t even ask Yakov. He just quits and _leaves._

 _Stupid, stupid boy._ Viktor doesn’t know how to coach. He can choreograph beautiful pieces for his new student, no doubt, but Katsuki is going to need more than good choreography from what Yakov has seen and Viktor definitely doesn’t know how to provide that kind of support. What the hell does he think he’s doing?

And it’s not just that Viktor will be doing Yuuri Katsuki a disservice by trying to be his coach. It’s all the time Yakov has put into Viktor that is being thrown away without a second thought. Seventeen years. Yakov has trained Viktor, turned him into a champion, been there for him when his family wasn’t, dealt with the mood swings that became more frequent the older he got. Yakov took care of him like he was his own since Viktor was eleven years old, and this is how Viktor repays him? By throwing away everything they’ve worked for to go dabble in something he has no business doing?

At least Yakov isn’t alone in his anger. When Yuri finds out Viktor is gone, he explodes and starts to shout some nonsense about how Viktor promised to choreograph his senior debut. Yakov tells him to forget about it – Viktor’s probably already forgotten.

Yuri retaliates by flying to Japan. Yakov is murderous.

When he comes back, unsuccessful in his attempts to retrieve Viktor, Yakov put him to work, enlisting the help of Lilia. If Viktor is going to leave like this, Yakov is going to make sure Yuri is Katsuki’s biggest competitor. Of course, Georgi think he is Russia’s top skater now that Viktor isn’t skating this season. Yakov doesn’t have the heart to tell him that Yuri will beat him in his senior debut – Georgi is a little fragile after breaking up with Anya, so it’s better to let him think he’s the top skater. Besides, this is Georgi’s chance to step out of Viktor’s shadow, and Yakov isn’t going to deny him that.

At the Cup of China, Yakov tells Viktor he is a fool for coaching. Still, when he hears that Makkachin is sick at the Rostelecom Cup, he agrees to coach Katsuki in Viktor’s absence. That dog means more to Viktor than anything; he would never stand in his way of being with Makkachin. Katsuki comes in fourth, proving to Yakov that Viktor is failing as a coach, but Yuri places second and that is enough for Yakov.

Yakov doesn’t know what changes between the two competitions, but Katsuki places second in the Grand Prix Final. He has to admit that the Japanese skater had an extraordinary routine. But his Yuri wins gold, and Yakov hasn’t felt this kind of pride in a single skater since Viktor was young. Lilia even lets him comfort her as the emotion from Yuri’s performance overwhelms her.

Best of all, Viktor asks to come back to competitive skating with Yakov as his coach. Part of Yakov wants to be petty and refuse to take him back, except the overwhelming majority of him is too thrilled to even consider that. Of course, on the outside, his only reaction is a stoic “Alright, Vitya”, but on the inside it feels like his world is coming back together.

Now, if only Lilia would take him back, too. Then everything would be perfect. 

 

* * *

 

_2016_

Yakov worries that coaching and skating at the same time is too much for Viktor. The stubborn kid would never admit it, but Yakov can see how he tires more easily than he ever used to. It’s not surprising either – he’s skating under Yakov for five hours in the morning and turns right around to coach Yuuri for another five hours. Yakov knows Viktor all too well, and he knows that Viktor is capable of burning himself out without even realizing it.

Still, he seems happy. Tired, but happy. Yuuri provides that happiness – Yakov can tell by the way Viktor lights up around him, constantly reaches to touch him, and watches him skate with something in his eyes that can only be described as pure love. He looks at Yuuri the way Yakov used to look at Lilia. Yakov won’t admit it as with most things, but it’s nice to have that kind of loving energy in his rink.

Another thing that’s nice is how motivated his other skaters seem to be now that Viktor is back in the game. Yuri is determined to keep his gold medal standing and beat “the old geezer”, so he’s training harder and being more compliant than he’s ever been. Georgi is threatened that Russia’s biggest star is back, so he’s putting in more effort, too. Mila is the only one who messes around, driving Yakov crazy, because Viktor’s return doesn’t impact her at all in the women’s singles division.

At the first Grand Prix competition since Viktor’s return, Yakov is anxious to see how it will play out. Georgi is thankfully placed in a different competition – Yakov is certain he wouldn’t win up against the others – and so is Viktor’s friend, Chris, but Viktor, Yuuri, and Yuri are all skating against each other. It’s going to be a tough competition. The three of them are equally desperate to win gold – Yuri to keep his title, Yuuri to prove himself to Viktor, and Viktor to prove to the world he can make a comeback. The problem is Viktor isn’t just a skater this time; he’s a coach and he needs to be there for his student no matter how he’s feeling.

Yakov pulls him aside just before the competition begins to tell him just that.

“I know that, Yakov,” says Viktor cheerfully. “I’m going to try my best to give him good competition, but as his coach I’ll be happier if he wins. It’d be an honor to have him beat me.”

Yakov hopes Viktor means that and isn’t just saying it. He knows Viktor too well; he often just tells people what he thinks they want to hear instead of the truth.

After the free skate, Yuri takes home gold, Yuuri wins silver, and Viktor wins bronze. Viktor seems earnestly happy for Yuuri, although the world is shocked that their great Russian skater came in third. Yakov isn’t shocked. Frankly, he thinks it’s impressive that Viktor placed at all considering his age and the fact that he hasn’t competed in a year. Viktor seems to agree, too, because he tells Yakov the very same thing after the competition.

“I think after this season I’ll retire for good,” he tells Yakov quietly, away from the crowds. He doesn’t seem upset about retirement. On the contrary, Viktor looks very satisfied and at peace with his decision.

Truthfully, Yakov is, too. He remembers a time when he would have killed Viktor for even mentioning retirement, but that time has passed. Viktor is growing closer to thirty, and he just doesn’t have the stamina or power he used to. Besides, Yakov can’t ignore how good of a coach Viktor’s turned out to be – he doesn’t need to skate professionally anymore.

The day that Viktor officially announces his retirement after winning bronze at the Grand Prix Final, again behind Yuuri and Yuri, is a strange one for Yakov. For almost twenty years, he thought he would retire when Viktor did. Viktor is his star, the most talented skater he’s ever had. But the day has come and Yakov has no interest in retiring yet. He has Yuri Plisetsky now, who could have given Viktor in his prime a run for his money. There might never be another Viktor Nikiforov, but there’s always another star to be coached.

Yakov supposes that’s the life cycle of competitive figure skating. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Any kudos or comments are greatly appreciated :)


End file.
